Waitrose Food & Drink Report 2017/8 – what was hot this year and what will be ‘in’ next year?.

November 9th 2017

Last week, Waitrose released its annual Food & Drink trends Report (17/18), which uncovers the nation’s current shopping, cookery and eating habits through consumer research trends.

Our nation has adopted an ‘as and when’ mentality; whether it’s shopping or eating, we do what we want, when we want. In terms of stocking up, it’s all moved on from the weekly shop – two thirds of us now buy groceries more than once a day. Sounds like a lot of aisle (or idle?) time, right? Yes, but we’re set on reducing waste and preventing over-buying, which is certainly a positive for climate change and biodiversity. On the flip side, we think ahead less than we used to and don’t like being tied to what’s in our fridge…

So, perhaps we’ll find resolve in dining out – and if we’re on our own it doesn’t matter, as solo dining is more socially acceptable than it was five years (according to 78% of us). Why? Society has simply changed taboo; restaurants are more single-person-friendly; and our mobiles can entertain us, if needed. Of course, we haven’t morphed into robots just yet and do still need some human interaction – for this, dinner parties are the perfect answer! What would you make for your guests: a three-course meal? Not anymore, say a quarter of us, and it seems hosting is less about finessing the menu and more about the ambiance. That’s all well and good, just as long as you’re not a fussy eater, don’t use your phone at the table, or forget to say thank you, as these are the top annoyances when cooking a meal for others.

To hark back to waste reduction, 53% of us buy food from the ‘reduced’ section more often than we did, proving we’re less snobbish, particularly when it comes to mixing and matching between brands. We won’t, however, compromise on meat, toilet roll, chocolate, coffee or cheese.

As we approach the final month of the year, look back; what were you eating and drinking in 2017? Buddha bowls? Turmeric? Brunch? Boxed wine? Craft stout? Premium mixers? Almost certainly, for these are just some of this year’s most popular trends. But, what about next year? Experts predict Indian street food and Japanese ‘dude food’ (gutsy sharing dishes, on the other end of the light miso and noodle soup spectrum) will become a big hit, while a demand for plant proteins and a fourth meal cater to our new lives as busy/schedule-juggling, flexitarians.